Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of fire prevention. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device and method utilizing a steady flow of a medically safe inert gas to prevent fires in an operating room environment.
Description of the Related Art
Recent literature from the Joint Commission, Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation has brought both the frequency and potential harm of operating room (OR) fires to the forefront. Operating room fires are listed as one of the top ten health technology hazards of 2013. It is estimated that between 500-600 operating room fires occur every year.
Due to the threat of liability, lawsuits, and the lack of state laws that require operating room fires to be reported, the true number of operating room fires is probably greater. Since 1985, 1.9% of all anesthesiology claims have been due to operating room fires with a median claim of $120,166. Twenty percent of operating room fires result in serious injury and 1-2% result in patient death. Despite the recent abundance of literature, the percentage of claims from electrosurgery-induced operating room fires has increased by more than two fold from 2000-2009. The increasing frequency of claims and the potential threat of operating room fires make it necessary to examine potential solutions to this problem.
For fire to occur, three sources commonly found in the operative environment must be present, i.e., an oxygen source, an ignition source and a fuel source. In 90% of claims from operating room fires, the ignition source is electrosurgery. Other ignition sources that have been reported to cause operating room fires include CO2 lasers, fiberoptic cables, and faulty operating room equipment. The most common fuel source for operating room fires has been surgical drapes accounting for approximately 81% of OR fire claims.
Another potential fuel source which has received much attention is alcohol-containing preparation solution. Such prep-solutions have been indicated as a potential fuel source in 15% of OR fire claims since 1985. Other potential fuel sources include cotton towels, cotton laparotomy sponges, surgical gowns, and utility drapes. Oxidizing agents are also necessary for fires to occur. The most common oxidant is oxygen gas, often delivered to the patient via facemask or nasal cannula. High concentrations of oxygen given to the patient through an open system such as facemask or nasal cannula have been reported as hazardous, especially in surgeries on the head, neck, or upper chest. Nitrous oxide is another potential oxidizing agent, but has received less attention as more fires result from high oxygen concentrations.
One way to remove the possibility of fire in the operating room is by removing the concentration of oxygen in the environment necessary for all potential fuel sources to ignite. Oxygen indexes, or the minimum concentration of oxygen necessary for a material to support a candle-like flame, of the most common surgical materials have been noted before. The oxygen index of woven cotton towels (17.8) was shown to be lower than both a non-woven cellulose draping (18.5) and a polypropylene draping (22.8). Therefore, woven cotton materials do not require as much oxygen to support an initial flame as other materials in the operating room, making it more likely to ignite. In addition, the flammability characteristics of common surgical materials composed predominantly of cotton or polypropylene have been previously analyzed revealing that cotton laparotomy sponges are the most flammable material in increased oxygen concentrations.
By removing one of the primary elements necessary for initiation of a fire, fire can be prevented. Carbon dioxide is a gas proven to prevent ignition and extinguish fire by displacing oxygen. This inert gas extinguishes fire by displacing the required amount of oxygen for continued combustion. Carbon dioxide is also commonly used in the operative environment to improve surgical visibility.
Thus, there is a recognized need for an effective means of fire prevention in operating rooms. Particularly, the prior art is deficient in a device and system that is affixed to an electrosurgical tool to direct a constant flow of a medically safe gas to a surgical site and the surrounding draped area to prevent ignition by the tool. The present invention fulfills this longstanding need and desire in the art.